These are some tools from our resident activist, Miya Manu Abraham (Redfrog), as well as some from the LearningPlanet team. We hope that they can be useful in your toolkit as a refugee or a refugee activist, whether you’re new to learning about refugees or already have a few of your own tools.
Feel free to share widely!
Podcasts ????️
- Awake at Night: Melissa Fleming’s podcast shares what it takes to be a humanitarian worker in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous locations.
- Before Me by Lisa Phu and Self Evident Media: Lisa Phu’s family left Cambodia as refugees, to start a new life in the United States; listen to her story firsthand, from her mom Lan.
- Forced to Flee by UNHCR: Podcast by UNHCR that revisits some of the major emergencies of the post-war that have forced millions of people to leave their homes in search of safety and peace.
- Inside Kabul (In French): follows the intertwined destinies of two young Afghan women, Raha and Marwa, through the voice notes they exchanged after the Taliban seized power.
- Outside Kabul (In French): Two and a half years after their initial voice notes that inspired the podcast ‘Inside Kabul’, Raha and Marwa share their day-by-day experiences of lockdown in Kabul. They recount their heartbreaks, moments of emancipation, and the journey that eventually led them to the European Parliament.
- The New Humanitarian: The New Humanitarian Podcast looks into conflicts and natural disasters around the world, displacement, policies and how it affects people.
Youth Movement + Non- Profit Initiatives + Active Social Media Channels ✊????
- Bees and Refugees: Bees & Refugees is an environmental justice organisation introducing beekeeping as therapeutic & community-building craft to refugee and local communities in London, whilst supporting the UK’s native black bee population to flourish.
- Changemaker Afghanistan: Changemaker, launched in 2022, is a youth-led initiative that’s laser-focused on upscaling the fragile mental health system in Afghanistan and forging its connection with other SDGs particularly SDG 4, 5, and 13 by using evidence – based research, program implementation, and advocacy.
- Chatterbox: Chatterbox is an online language school that trains and employs refugees as teachers, allowing people to benefit from the language skills of asylum seekers. These refugee teachers have higher education and are often qualified professionals in their countries of origin.
- Global Youth Refugee Network: GRYN supports young refugees to develop their capacity to help each other, lead initiatives to respond to their communities’ needs and advocate for the changes they feel are important for them and their communities.
- Refugees International: Refugees International advocates for lifesaving assistance, human rights, and protection for displaced people and promotes solutions to displacement crises
- Techfugees: Techfugees is an impact driven global organisation nurturing a sustainable ecosystem of tech solutions supporting the inclusion of displaced people.
- UNHCR Young Champions: The UN Refugee Agency, is calling on young people to join its global network of Young Champions and help advocate, create content, volunteer and fundraise to support people forced to flee worldwide.
- Walk with Amal: Little Amal is the 12 foot puppet of a 10 year old Syrian refugee child at the heart of The Walk. She has become a global symbol of human rights, especially those of refugees.
Videos and Documentaries ????
- The Harrowing Personal Stories of Syrian Refugees, in Their Own Words by the Atlantic: Filmed in four different refugee camps across Greece—outside Athens and on the islands of Lesvos and Leros—the film allows victims of the Syrian Civil War to share their experiences.
- The Swimmers: The Swimmers is a Netflix film based on the lives of Yusra and Sara Mardini, two teenage sisters who escaped war-torn Syria.
- Unlocking Potential: Education for Afghan Girls Against All Odds: With 80% denied school access under Taliban rule, this session brings to the forefront a critical mission: unlocking the untapped potential of 2.5 million girls. Speakers include Maiwand Qayomi (LPI), Soomaya Javadi (30 Birds Foundation), Hamida Aman (Begum Academy), Aimal Qaderi (Teach For Afghanistan), Prof Victoria C. Fontan (Alliance for the Education of Women in Afghanistan), Justin Hefter, 30 Birds Foundation, Janhvi Kanoria, Education Above All, and François Taddei, LPI.
- Access to Quality Education in a Disrupted World: delves into the critical issue of providing education to refugees and other marginalised groups amidst global crises. Key speakers included are Valerie Hannon (Global Education Leaders’ Partnership), Muy-Cheng Peich (Libraries Without Borders), Mohamad Al Jounde (Gharsah Association), and Isobel Frye (Social Policy Initiative).
- Meet some Actors for Change on the Occasion of World Refugee Day : this video highlights some role models advocating for change, to show that anyone, through any medium, can be an actor for change driving educational transformation for migrant and refugee communities. Meet Valeriya Ionan, Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation; Fiston Muganda, a powerful voice advocating for refugee rights and opportunities; and Muy-Cheng Peich, empowering learning through Libraries Without Borders.
- Meet Mohamad, founder of the Gharsah Association: this reel explores the inspiring journey of Mohamad Al Jounde, founder of the Gharsah Association. Mohamad is a 22-year old refugee rights activist who started a school for Syrian refugees in Lebanon at the age of 12 after fleeing Syria himself. Mohamad’s dedication has earned him many awards, including the International Children Peace Prize and Turner Social Change Award.
- Meet Soomaya, founder of the 30 Birds Foundation. Three years ago, Kabul fell to the Taliban. Fearing for her future, Soomaya fled Afghanistan for Canada, where she continues to advocate for Afghan women, being a feminist, and mechanisms for refugees and other vulnerable groups to access education.
